Out of Bed
by Gryffindor Rat
Summary: Sirius is bored and James comes up with a way to have fun without breaking the rules. Late night races and collisions leads to James, Sirius and Remus having to defend themselves on the matter of technicality to their strictest professor. Short one-shot, no plot, just Marauders being Marauders.


**Hey everyone! So, this is not an actual story, just a short one-shot that was inspired by a post that you can find if you google 26dd171ac070f6cb0376041c433619e7. It's a post by marauders4evr that I found hilarious. I don't think I did it justice, but here is a small snippet of it. It's super short, just something to distract myself with really, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Please read with caution, it is not beta'd.**

 **I own NOTHING! . . . sadly…**

 **Enjoy!**

 **xxx**

"Hey Prongs, I'm bored…"

"Prongs?"

"Prooongs…"

"JAMES CHARLUS POTTER!"

"Bloody hell Padfoot, you sound like my mother!"

"Well then, don't ignore me."

James sighed and looked up from _Quidditch Through the Ages_ , seeing his best friend looking at him expectantly from his own four-poster bed. An involuntary smirk twitched at his lips as he saw Sirius' bored expression and remembered all the chaos they had caused whenever one of them would get that expression.

"Instead of bothering James, why don't you start on your homework? You do know that Christmas break is going to be over tomorrow and all those abandoned assignments has to be handed in."

"But Mooony, it's so utterly pedantic to actually complete one's homework on time. Besides, as you said, this is our last night before the Christmas hols ends and I think we should celebrate it with a bang."

Remus looked up from his book, his expression managing to be both exasperated and amused at the same time. "As long as there is any type of bang, anywhere, you're happy as a puppy. You even start wagging your tail."

"Hey!"

James laughed at Sirius' affronted look as Remus smirked. Sirius pouted and fell back onto his bed. "If Peter hadn't gone to visit his mother for the hols, he would've been on my side."

"Yes, but that's because you give him no other choice." James grinned as another argument broke out between two of his best friends and had just turned his attention back to the Quidditch-filled pages, when Sirius shot upright, his eyes glittering in excitement.

"I know! Let's go explore the castle further for our map! Most of the students are gone and Evans isn't here to catch us." James eyes immediately lit up and he put his book aside as he sat up.

"We last stopped at the third floor. Pick up where we left off?"

"Oh no, not this time! Come on James, Sirius, can't we have one restful night before classes start again? Professor McGonagall will have our heads if we're caught out of bed after curfew again! Don't you remember cleaning Filtch's bathroom last time?! I swear he made it foul on purpose!"

James' grimace was mirrored on Sirius face as they remembered that particular explosive detention. It had been horrid and they could never look at the grumpy old caretaker the same way again. They definitely had no desire for any repeat of the experience.

Suddenly, a wicked gleam entered James' eyes and a slow grin stretched across his face. Sirius immediately noticed and his focus caught Remus' attention. Both looked at their manically grinning friend curiously and in slight anticipation.

"What if we aren't caught out of bed?"

 ***MARAUDERS FIC***

" _WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!"_

"Come on Padfoot, you're falling behind!"

"You wish Prongs! Eat my linen!"

"You two are utterly insane! Hah, try and pass me now!"

"I do believe, Monsieur Padfoot, that Monsieur Moony just challenged us."

"I do believe you're tight Monsieur Prongs. Let's ram him!"

Portraits jerked awake as fast blurs raced past them through the corridors, their eyes blinking sleepily as they muttered mutinously about their sleep being interrupted and how inconsiderate students are. One even had the energy to angrily shake his fist and yell _'No students out of bed at night'_ after the guilty scoundrels. However, they were only answered by juvenile laughter and shrieks of joy.

"Say Prongs, this might have been your best idea yet!" Sirius shouted as he whipped his wand to the right, executing a tight turn around the corner after Remus. James was right next to him, trying to overtake him, but Sirius was determined he wouldn't be the last Marauder in this race.

Remus glanced back, his usually reserved nature disappearing as he directed the four-poster bed he was sitting on to race down the stairs. Behind him, his two best friends were jostling each other as they tried to levitate the beds they sat on past each other, each trying to overtake the other and they weren't afraid to play dirty.

Laughing, he turned to the front and decided to play a bit dirty himself. Zooming forwards, he aimed for the archway that led to the dungeons. He had to time it just right, as he had to cancel his levitation charm for a second, cast a sticking charm on himself to the bed and recast the levitation charm before his bed crashed to the floor. Then, with a twist of his wand, he flipped the bed on its side and shot through the archway, immediately righting it as he came out the other side.

Glancing back, he saw the determined expressions on his two best friends' faces, each stubbornly wanting to make it through the archway first and neither willing to slow down for the other. Remus flinched just as an almighty crash echoed through the hallway, both of them having tried to go through the archway at the same time, resulting in a collision of epic proportions! Luckily, it seemed they were fine and Sirius managed to squeeze through first, though James wasn't far behind.

"I thought you two were the Quidditch stars and you can't even beat little old me, _the bookworm_?" Remus laughed at their enraged expression, though he quickly paled when they got identical devious grins on their faces, their eyes twinkling dangerously. Yelping, though he would _vehemently_ deny it later on, he jerked his wand forward, putting on an extra burst of speed. He knew it was more his charm work than any actual flying skill that granted him his first place and now that his two friends were focused on him instead of each other, that lead might be heavily diminished soon.

"Come on Prongs, I think it's time we showed Moony what it means to be a Quidditch star!"

"Right with you Padfoot!"

Yells echoed through the darkened castle as the chase started, beds fairly screeching around corners and slamming into each other as each boy jostled for the front lead.

"Get him, quick Padfoot, to your left!"

"I see it! You take the righ-"

"WHAT IN MERLIN AND MORGANA'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?! _IMMOBULUS!_ "

Sirius almost went flying off his bed as it came to a sudden halt and only his firm grip managed to save him from flying arse over broom off the edge of the bed. He slowly looked up, cringing when he saw Professor McGonagall's furious expression, her lips pursed so tightly it almost looked like she had none and her eyes pinched in anger. Even dressed in her green night robe and hair in a braid as opposed to its usual strict bun, she looked absolutely terrifying; like a vengeful demon that ascended from hell to eat them alive, kicking and screaming. As one, all three beds thunked to the floor as the three Marauders avoided meeting their enraged Professor's gaze.

"Not only are you _out after curfew_ , but you are _racing through the school_ _on your beds_ like a bunch of hooligans! You are _SIXTEEN_ , _NOT SIX_ and I expect you to act like it. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! _Out of bed, out of bounds, breaking curfe_ -"

"Excuse me Professor, but we aren't _actually_ out of bed. The Hogwarts rulebook only states that no students are allowed out of bed at night and, technically, we're still in bed." The audacity of James interrupting her mid-rant render McGonagall speechless and it took her a while to actually register what her star student was saying. Like a storm gathering, the three students swore they could see her face blackening and static racing across her hair, as the elder witch drew herself up to her full height.

"James Charlus Potter! You know _exactly_ what that rules means and a mere _technicality_ won't sto-"

"But Professor," Remus interjected, "that technicality means the difference between us having broken a rule and no rule being broken. In this case, it's obvious that we have followed the rules as it's stated in the Hogwarts Rulebook."

"Mr. Lupin! I would have expected this from these two scoundrels, but you are a _prefect_! Why didn't you stop this? And you should well know that no students are allowed out of their Common Room after curfew, regardless of the way it is worde-"

"Aw, but Minni, nowhere does it say that students aren't allowed out of their Common Rooms after curfew. Here, look, I brought the rulebook along to show you. Ahem, ' _Students must be in their dormitory bed by a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Any students not found to do so will_ _be punished accordingly_ -' blah blah blah. See. You cannot punish us for breaking a rule that _doesn't exist_. We were in our dormitory beds by 10.p.m and we haven't left them since."

McGonagall's face became even more pinched as Sirius spoke, her eyes fairly shooting sparks and Sirius would swear for the rest of his life that he felt his life flash before his eyes.

"Very well." For a moment, the three boys couldn't believe their luck. Had they actually managed to get away with this? Were they going to get off scot-free from the most fearsome professor this school had?

"You have not broken _that_ rule. How about this one? ' _Magic should only be used by students in relation to school work, or approved extracurricular activities'_. What is your excuse now?"

"Professor, Professor Flitwick told us he had a very serious practical exam coming up and the levitation charm will be of the _utmost importance_. We are simply practicing. Surely you won't punish us for being studious and caring about our studies?" Sirius grinned at James' sheer brilliance, nodding along brightly, though he saw Remus paling out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh really… Then why are you practicing in the corridor and not in the study approved areas, which are the Common Room and Great Hall, when not in use. I do believe that there is a rule that states ' _No magic allowed in the corridors'_. I also presume that you have Professor Flitwick's permission to study in this manner, as it is _breaking the rules_ otherwise."

Sirius looked at James with a panicked expression, but, to his horror, James sported a panicked expression of his own. Remus was slumped over, having accepted the inevitable and, with a rising feeling of dread, Sirius realised they weren't going to get away with their midnight races as he thought they might.

"Well, nothing to say? Then allow me to ask once again, _what in Morgana's name were you three thinking?!_ Making furniture float for the sole purpose of racing through the corridors in the dead of night is an _irresponsible use of magic_ and quite dangerous. You could have gotten seriously injured -don't you start Black- or injured someone else. _Fifty points from Gryffindor!"_

"But Profe-"

"You can't d-"

" _Each!_ And detention for each one of you. I daresay Filtch will be happy he doesn't have to worry about cleaning his bathroom and Professor Kettleburn will be ecstatic she has someone to help her clean up after her creatures. Now, I will escort you back to your Common Room, where you will _remain_ for the duration of the night."

With that, McGonagall flicked her wrist, transfiguring one of Sirius' pillows into an armchair, which, to the shock of the three Gryffindors, she sat down on regally and, with another flick of her wand, the chair and their three beds levitated into the air and floated down the corridor slightly faster than walking pace, as their professor directed them towards the Gryffindor Common room.

Glancing at James, Sirius saw he sported the same gobsmacked expression as himself and Remus, though Sirius' soon turned into a smirk.

"Why Minnie, what was that about no magic in the corridors and irresponsible use of magic by making furniture float?"

"Quiet Mr. Black and that's Professor to you! I am a professor and as such, is not bound by the same rules you, as students, are." But all three boys saw the barely-there smirk on their Head of House's lips and, grinning at each other, decided this was well worth the detention and loss of points.

 ***MARAUDERS FIC***

The next day when the rest of the students returned to school, they saw, to their confusion, a notice stuck to the notice board in each Common Room. Most had no idea as to why such a notice had been necessary and though rumours were flung around like dungbombs, only three students truly knew the reason behind the notice.

' _ **Hogwarts Rule #25 amended: Students must be in their dormitories and in bed by a 10:00 p.m. curfew and may not leave their house common rooms until 6:00 a.m, not even for private studying.'**_

 **The End**

 **Sooo, what did you think? I know it's short, but this was literally something I just cooked up in about two hours, so it's not meant to be long and detailed. Hoped you liked it and hope to hear from you guys! I would love to hear some loopholes and reasons you guys come up with in support of the Marauders!**


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